“After every storm, there is a rainbow. If you have eyes, you will find it. If you have wisdom, you will create it. If you have love for yourself and others, you won’t need it.” – Shannon L. Alder

Some of the most successful folks in our community thrive despite experiencing mental health challenges. We are inspired by their strength and honored that they would share their stories with us below.

Paige Godschalk

Overcoming and persisting through the challenges of mental health has been one of the most transformative parts of my journey. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 at 32, and for a while, it felt like my world had flipped upside down. But in that unraveling, I discovered a strength I never knew I had.

Persistence didn’t always look pretty — sometimes it was getting out of bed when everything felt heavy. Other times, it was asking for help, being honest about what I was experiencing, or simply taking things one breath at a time. Therapy, medication, a solid support system, and my career behind the chair became lifelines. Read More>>

Jaclyn Wahlberg Johnson

As an entrepreneur with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and depression, launching Desert Sun Ranch Academy forced me to face my mental health head-on. There are days where my anxiety is so intense that I can’t bring myself to do even basic marketing due to crippling fear that people will think my program is a terrible idea. I tend to overthink everything and struggle with hyper-independence, which makes it hard to ask for help. Read More>>

Kenzy Barrett

As a young nurse working in healthcare, mental health is something I navigate daily—both in my patients and within myself. I was raised in a somewhat broken home. My father battled cancer for most of my life until his passing, and my sister struggled heavily with addiction. Growing up in that environment, I carried a constant sense of anxiety and depression. It felt like a storm cloud was always hovering just above me, and I had to learn not only how to live with it but how to function underneath its weight. Read More>>

Alycia Shiann

My mental health journey has always felt like a rollercoaster. One day I’m on top of the world, nothing can go wrong, nothing can bring me down and another day can feel like I’m in the bottom of a dark pit struggling to get out or find the light on the other side. One thing that has helped me immensely when it comes to improving my mental health is my art. Instead of living with a million thoughts scattering around my head, I’m able to translate that on to a canvas or a piece of paper. I think the most important thing to help people struggling with anxiety or depression is to find an outlet that allows you to release what you’re feeling. Read More>>

Bobby Hubner

, about 3 years ago I got tested for Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 42.

This was a very eye-opening thing for me to do, so many things just had not made sense to me throughout my entire life, and I finally hit that wall of unanswered questions about who I actually am as a person. I had always felt… different, separate from most of my peers in some way.

I was always a smart, fun-loving child but I also felt like I didn’t grasp things in the same way others did, and the things they struggled with usually felt very simple and common sense to me. Read More>>

Paul Hurley

Every moment I’ve faced that has created a doubt or fear that’s been born of a past traumatic event or experience, I look too or think of those that I’ve inspired or who see me as a sign of strength and put aside what I feel is hindering my progress. My children are my greatest inspiration for overcoming and growing. Wanting to see them succeed means they must see that it’s possible regardless of opposition. Read More>>

Jnana Lewis

Personally, overcoming challenges related to mental health issues became possible for me when I began to take accountability for the part that I played in the poor quality of my mental state. It definitely took a lot of courage to self reflect and take a good look at the, “woman in the mirror.” I had to take a step back and look within. I realized that I wasn’t happy with who I had become. My pain had consumed me, I didn’t know who I was anymore. But, I eventually found strength and determination to reclaim my life back as my own. It didn’t come easy, I had to abandon my victim mindset and face the sorrow in order to overcome it. Journaling, therapy, yoga, and meditation were very beneficial in helping me overcome my depression, anxiety, and fear. I still apply these rituals to my life today to take great care of my mental health. Read More>>